Exclusive: Seating the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Wednesday

Jan 15, 2014 at 11:22 AM

Which actor has the best seat in the house for this Saturday's Screen Actors Guild Awards? Producers spend the days leading up to the ceremony perfecting the seating chart to fit all 1,200 guests on the floor of Los Angeles' ...

TV Guide

Which actor has the best seat in the house for this Saturday's Screen Actors Guild Awards? Producers spend the days leading up to the ceremony perfecting the seating chart to fit all 1,200 guests on the floor of Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.

"It's a challenge every year, but it's a nice challenge," says executive producer Kathy Connell. "We do the awards for ensembles, so you have far more actors in the room than any other awards show."

This year's distinction for largest ensemble cast goes to HBO's Game of Thrones, which will have 32 actors representing the series. There are also a handful of double nominees including Tony Hale, who is recognized for both Veep and Arrested Development. Hale chose to sit with his Veep costars at table 25, which happens to be positioned right next to Arrested Development at tables 32 and 38.

Producers also try to alternate tables containing movie and television casts, and Connell insists they have no inkling of potential winners when drafting the chart. "It was such a good year for both TV and film, I don't have a clue who's going to win our awards," she says.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the seating chart (changes could still be made).